SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS – Cibao FC of the Dominican Republic are aiming to return to the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League for a second time by way of the 2022 Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship and they certainly will fancy their chances knowing that Miguel Lloyd is in the goal.
The 39-year-old GK registered a clean sheet in Cibao’s opening 3-0 win versus Violette of Haiti in Group A and will be looking to nail down a semifinal spot-on Tuesday against Cavalier of Jamaica.
There were some nervy moments at the start for Cibao against Violette, but Lloyd feels like the side recovered nicely and that the team is locked in to the task at hand of winning the club’s first FCCCC since 2017.
“Despite it being a really hard game in the first half in that the opponent came out really strong, with an impetus to take the game, I think Cibao was set up and well organized and we were able to take the three points,” said Lloyd in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
“I think our team is very focused in this tournament. Everyone is very committed to our objective, so I think we are on a good path,” added Lloyd.
One would be hard-pressed to find a Caribbean GK with more experience at the Concacaf level than Lloyd, who has 15 SCCL matches under his belt, along with 12 Scotiabank Concacaf League games.
“I have had various experiences in Concacaf tournaments and the truth is that I really like competing at this level. Whenever one arrives to play in one of these events, it gives you more of a desire to perform, to move forward and keep playing, because you get to face good teams and good players,” said Lloyd.
Lloyd was also a big part of one of the most memorable SCCL runs in recent history when he was the man in net for Panama’s Arabe Unido during the 2016-17 SCCL. The Canalero club twice defeated Mexican giants Monterrey on their way to a quarterfinal finish, and it remains the only time in SCCL history that Monterrey failed to win the tournament after qualifying.
“Playing with Arabe Unido when we beat Monterrey twice was a wonderful experience. We were able to advance to the next round in that Champions League. It went well for us and so it was an experience that I will always remember,” said Lloyd.
Lloyd also allows himself to dream about what it would be like to get another crack at the SCCL, which would be Cibao’s second appearance after debuting in the 2018 edition.
“For me it is a great challenge to try to return to the Champions League. Getting back there would be fantastic. We are fighting for that. We are working hard for that and I think we are on the right path for it. It would also be important for Cibao the club to return to the Champions League,” said Lloyd.
2022 also stands to be a busy year for Lloyd at the international level with the Dominican Republic National Team, who will face Guatemala, French Guiana and Belize in the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League in Group D of League B.
“It is always great to be a part of the national team and represent your country and I think things in the national team are going well. It is not an easy group. Guatemala play very good football, as do French Guiana, and then Belize have their own style as well. It is a very tough group and so we have to prepared to face all of our opponents if we want to win,” said Lloyd.
Should Lloyd and company finish atop their group in the CNL, it would make for a historical Concacaf Gold Cup qualification for the Caribbean nation. After several near misses previously, Lloyd’s hope is that this is their moment.
“That is the dream of Dominican football, to qualify for the Gold Cup. It is like our first World Cup. Qualifying for a Gold Cup would bring about tremendous happiness. We have come up just short previous times, so hopefully this is the time it happens that we get to a Gold Cup for the first time,” concluded Lloyd.